You may be wondering what costume jewelry is. You may have, at one time, heard about it from your friends or heard people talking about it on television and now you want to understand what the talk is all about. So... what is it?
Well, costume jewelry is not what you may think, and this is the part that confuses people sometimes. It is not worn with costumes such as, say, Halloween costumes or Costume Party costumes. It is actually worn with certain fashions. A better name for it would be "outfit jewelry." It also goes by the name "fashion jewelry."
Costume jewelry originated in the 1930s and was made to be cheap and disposable to be worn with a specific outfit. Back then, the word costume meant the same as the word outfit, and we have since retained the name to talk about it. It is made of less expensive materials such as glass, base metal, plastic, and fake stone, unlike jewelry you would find at a jewelry store, which are made of things like silver, gold, and precious gems.
To get a better idea of what this type of jewelry looks like, you can go to a local department store in your area. In the jewelry department, you'll usually find a few walls of jewelry that are very cheap and usually very colorful. This is costume jewelry. You can see that certain pieces can go well with outfits.
Keep in mind, however, that to find true costume jewelry, you need to find some that was made between the eras of 1920 to 1960. This is called vintage fashion jewelry and is a very sought after item for collectors.
Well, costume jewelry is not what you may think, and this is the part that confuses people sometimes. It is not worn with costumes such as, say, Halloween costumes or Costume Party costumes. It is actually worn with certain fashions. A better name for it would be "outfit jewelry." It also goes by the name "fashion jewelry."
Costume jewelry originated in the 1930s and was made to be cheap and disposable to be worn with a specific outfit. Back then, the word costume meant the same as the word outfit, and we have since retained the name to talk about it. It is made of less expensive materials such as glass, base metal, plastic, and fake stone, unlike jewelry you would find at a jewelry store, which are made of things like silver, gold, and precious gems.
To get a better idea of what this type of jewelry looks like, you can go to a local department store in your area. In the jewelry department, you'll usually find a few walls of jewelry that are very cheap and usually very colorful. This is costume jewelry. You can see that certain pieces can go well with outfits.
Keep in mind, however, that to find true costume jewelry, you need to find some that was made between the eras of 1920 to 1960. This is called vintage fashion jewelry and is a very sought after item for collectors.
